Secondary teacher ratification vote will stand

OSSTF investigation finds nothing improper in voting procedure

GUELPH — Pierre Cote says the ratification vote taken by secondary school teachers last week in Guelph was correctly administered, did not violate the constitution and the vote will stand.

Cote, the general secretary of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, was responding to allegations made by some members of District 18 Upper Grand of the federation that teachers did not receive the contract in enough time to make a considered vote and that, combined with other irregularities, should render the count null and void.

Cote said normally teachers’ contracts are bargained centrally with the province and central bargaining would “lend” bargaining rights to the locals to hammer out local issues.

With this contract, central bargaining broke down and now individual locals are negotiating deals directly with school boards. It’s a circumstance called provincial resumption of negotiations, which basically means rules set out in local constitutions are suspended and the provincial OSSTF constitution and bylaws apply instead.

“We did not follow the local constitution because we did not need to,” Cote said. “So there was less time between the information session and the vote, and the process of the meeting was different as well.

“I am satisfied that the PRN rules were followed without fault during the ratification of (Upper Grand’s) collective agreement.”

Cote said they never announce the final numbers of any ratification vote, but a clear majority of Upper Grand secondary teachers voted in favour of the agreement.

He said union officials took extra steps to ensure the vote was properly administered and the count was accurate. As well as local bargaining unit officials, staff from the provincial office also acted as scrutineers.

“Because ratification votes are sanctioned by law, we take great care to ensure the counting procedures conform to the highest of expectations,” he said. “I’m satisfied we took all necessary precautions and followed the necessary rules.”

Cote said there are also bylaws that state that members should not interfere with bargaining and how people should conduct themselves. He said Diane Ballantyne, second vice-president of the teachers’ bargaining unit at District 18, should not have gone to the press before allowing the organization to investigate her complaints.

Teachers ratified the contract Nov. 27. Ballantyne emailed her complaints to the Mercury Nov. 29. Ballantyne had already resigned her position with the union in protest of the alleged irregularities.

Cote said that because Upper Grand members voted to accept their contract while teachers in York and Niagara rejected theirs, “the majority is taking a beating because they voted the way they did.